Connecticut § 4-178 - Contested cases. Evidence.

§ 4-178. Contested cases. Evidence.

Sec. 4-178. Contested cases. Evidence. In contested cases: (1) Any oral or documentary evidence may be received, but the agency shall, as a matter of policy, provide for the exclusion of irrelevant, immaterial or unduly repetitious evidence; (2) agencies shall give effect to the rules of privilege recognized by law; (3) when a hearing will be expedited and the interests of the parties will not be prejudiced substantially, any part of the evidence may be received in written form; (4) documentary evidence may be received in the form of copies or excerpts, if the original is not readily available, and upon request, parties and the agency conducting the proceeding shall be given an opportunity to compare the copy with the original; (5) a party and such agency may conduct cross-examinations required for a full and true disclosure of the facts; (6) notice may be taken of judicially cognizable facts and of generally recognized technical or scientific facts within the agency's specialized knowledge; (7) parties shall be notified in a timely manner of any material noticed, including any agency memoranda or data, and they shall be afforded an opportunity to contest the material so noticed; and (8) the agency's experience, technical competence, and specialized knowledge may be used in the evaluation of the evidence.

(1971, P.A. 854, S. 13; P.A. 73-620, S. 11, 19; P.A. 88-317, S. 14, 107.)

History: P.A. 73-620 deleted former provisions regarding rules of evidence and objections to evidentiary offers, replacing them with allowance for any oral or documentary evidence; P.A. 88-317 made minor and technical changes and renumbered the subdivisions, effective July 1, 1989, and applicable to all agency proceedings commencing on or after that date.

Evidence concerning charges not included in notice to teacher re hearing under Sec. 10-151(b) is irrelevant. 167 C. 368. Having decided to proceed without counsel, plaintiff cannot claim he was prejudiced by admission of evidence to which he did not object. 168 C. 94. Cited. Id., 435; 170 C. 141; 171 C. 691; Id., 705; 172 C. 263; 173 C. 462; 177 C. 78; Id., 344; 183 C. 128; 186 C. 153; 191 C. 173; 211 C. 508; 215 C. 474; Id., 616; 216 C. 627; 218 C. 256; 220 C. 86; 223 C. 618; 226 C. 105; 228 C. 651; 231 C. 602; 237 C. 209; 239 C. 32.

Cited. 1 CA 1; 4 CA 307; Id., 359; 9 CA 622; 10 CA 90; 22 CA 181, 189; Id., 193; 24 CA 662; judgment reversed, see 223 C. 618; 27 CA 346; 33 CA 727; 34 CA 123; 37 CA 653; judgment reversed, see 238 C. 361. Subdiv. (8): Although parties are entitled to notice of any nonrecord facts that will constitute proof in a case, the composition of an administrative board, as well as statute, put plaintiff on notice that the board would use its own expertise when determining whether plaintiff's alleged acts conformed to the standard of care. 60 CA 775. Subdiv. (1): Evidence of how department treated other waste facilities, in the absence of a claim for selective enforcement, was properly excluded as it had no logical tendency to aid the trier in determination of the issues of whether plaintiff misrepresented and omitted pertinent facts to department and failed to comply with requirements of the general permit. 179 CA 127.

Subdiv. (4): Notice requirements are to protect parties from surprising and unexpected material or evidence; previous findings of Insurance Commissioner in same matter not prejudicial. 32 CS 257. Cited. 34 CS 225; 36 CS 18; 39 CS 99; Id., 462; 42 CS 1; Id., 413; Id., 602; 44 CS 21. Subdiv. (1): Hearsay evidence may be admitted as long as it is reliable and probative. 47 CS 228.